Date: Jul 10, 1995 7:46 PM
Author: Cathy Brady
Subject: AAAS Benchmarks
Ok I truly get annoyed at all the benchmarks, outcomes, and standards written to reform little ol' me, when I think I am the source of any reform that happens in my classroom and I suspect that I get paid a lot less than those who work on those committees. But there are uses for them. They do affirm that I'm not alone in my approaches. They provide justification for what I want to do (Some might say that they are written broadly enought to justify anything?)

But I didn't start writing this to vent my scepticism. I wanted tomention the AAAS Benchmarks, the second step in the Science for AllAmericans 2061 process. I think these benchmarks - particularly the mathbenchmarks - are great and I am disappointed not to hear them mentioned atNCTM conferences I have attended. I would hope that NCTM was in thebusiness of aiding it's members to teach mathematics besides "pushing" its own literature.